All about pies

Celebration in the round, pie is a comforting dish rich in tradition. Golden, flaky crusts filled with the juiciest of ingredients have graced the tables of generation after generation in each family. Emotions, memories and stories are all contained in this baked treat. They are a staple of holidays and gatherings where the last piece is argued over before it is scooped up by an urgent fork. Morning, noon and night pie has a place in our homes. Whether you bake them, buy them or just consume them, slice by slice pie is a part of life.

Traditional Pie

Pies have always been an American tradition.Ken Dumke Jr., General Manager of Mama Jo Homestyle Pies

photo by Natalie Spencer

photo by Natalie Spencer

Slicing into a cherry pie, allowing the rich red berries to spill out into the round pie plate is a good feeling. “When you eat a pie, you feel good,” says Ken Dumke Jr., the general manager of Mama Jo Homestyle Pies.

Full of comfort and tradition, pies stuffed from golden crust to golden crust with apples, peaches, cherries and various berries hold a place in our memories. These pies are often the first type of pie that pops into the minds of many. They are interwoven into stories of sunny days with close family.

The story of Mama Jo Homestyle Pies started with a single fruit pie. Dumke’s grandmother owned a catering business. “My uncle baked a large apple pie for her catering—back then you could put it in the front windows to cool—and somebody came by and wanted to buy the pie,” he says. Dumke is the third generation of his family to craft pies at Mama Jo’s. He has seen grandchildren pick up a grandparent's favorite for a special visit, as well as pies destined to continue important traditions. Customers stop in each year for an apple pie to accompany their Fourth of July plans, Dumke says. “Apples are an American tradition.”

Through the continuation of traditions, the simple fruit pie is transformed from two crusts and sliced apples into a part of national heritage. For Dumke, pie is interlinked with American culture. “Pies have always been an American tradition.”

Seasonal Pie

“It’s your connection to your family that comes through in the time you spend together, and a lot of the time you spend together is cooking.”— Barb Talevich, owner West Side Bakery of Akron and Green

photo by Natalie Spencer

photo by Natalie Spencer

Some foods seem to have transformational properties to them. Like alchemy, they begin as a basic set of ingredients and emerge as something that will shape a moment. A pumpkin pie is more than just pumpkin, spices and a crust in November—then it is the big finish to a meal everyone has waited 12 months to enjoy with their loved ones.

Barb Talevich is the owner of the West Side Bakery of Akron and Green, where she has been helping people enjoy holidays, birthdays, weddings and more with baked goods for many years. “Food is kind of a memory,” she says. “It’s not just something that you eat. I think a lot of what people do is try to recreate wonderful memories they had as children or that they did for their kids.”

Pies are a huge part of holiday traditions. Thanksgiving is the most popular pie holiday, Talevich says, followed closely by Easter and Christmas. A pie on the table for Thanksgiving, in particular, is so closely tied to the holiday that it is expected.

“ I find it very interesting that on the holidays, they want to go back to the very traditional things that they grew up eating.”

The standard-bearers of generations—apple, cherry, pumpkin and pecan pie—rule the day as families gather together. “They don’t want to deviate to different kinds of things.” Instead, thoughts of days in the kitchen with their mothers and grandmothers enter the picture. Talevich still remembers her own grandmother’s amazing pie crust. “She made the best pie crust ever,” she says. “Of course, everybody can say that about their grandmother and something they made, but she really was very good at it.”Whether the pie is being prepared or consumed, seasonal pies invite families to gather together. “It’s your connection to your family that comes through in the time you spend together—and a lot of the time you spend together is cooking,” says Talevich.

Quiche

“Pie is a beautiful thing that’s been around, almost, since the invention of cuisine. Pie is a classic.” — Josh Thornton, owner of Sweet Pea Café

photo by Natalie Spencer

photo by Natalie Spencer

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eggs, cheese, bacon and the needed warmth to get moving early in the morning are all combined into a flaky crust for the perfect dish—quiche. Josh Thornton, the owner of Sweet Pea Café in Fairlawn, loves pie. “I could eat pie of some sort every meal,” he says. Quiche allows pie-lovers to enjoy the circular treat early in the day without compromising their diet.

Fluffy, yet filling, quiche is very diverse. “It’s one of the only [dishes] that could be every single meal, every single day,” says Thornton. “It has veggies, protein, everything. And it sticks to your ribs.”

The rustic, old-fashioned hearty meal harkens back to chilly days in the kitchen with a beloved grandmother. Eggs are cracked, cheese is sprinkled in and vegetables are sliced. Full of comfort, a quiche reminds its consumer of mornings long-gone, but not yet faded from memory. “You’ve got a whole breakfast plate, but it’s jammed into one little dish,” Thornton says. “It’s fluffy and moist and brings [back any] emotions a perfect breakfast does.”

Quiche can be enjoyed many ways, and there are countless variations of recipes. The savory pie can be chock-full of bacon, ham, sausage, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, goat cheese and many more delicious ingredients. Though Thornton says they serve it warm at Sweet Pea, it can be devoured multiple ways. “In Europe, if you order a quiche, it’s at room temperature,” he says. It can also be enjoyed straight out of the fridge.

Simple and elegant, quiche opens the door for pie to be enjoyed all day long. “Pie is a beautiful thing that’s been around, almost, since the invention of cuisine,” says Thornton. “Pie is a classic.”

Savory Pie

Gathered around the table on an early fall day, there is nothing like cutting into a pot pie. Steam escapes as the knife slices into the flaking crust. Creamy fillings of chicken, steak, mushroom, carrots and peas gush out towards eager forks. Families have been drawn together by pot pies for generations. “It’s good for the cold weather,” says Ali Burmeister, General Manager at Sully’s Irish Pub in Medina. “[A pot pie] brings you back to something your grandmother would make.”

Like many other savory pies, pot pies are wonderful solutions for dinnertime on chilly evenings. All ingredients are corralled into one crust, where they are combined and baked into a cohesive dish. It is linked to memories of time with family, precious in an age where everyone rushes hectically to and fro. Burmeister’s thoughts drift back to frosty days, watching her grandmother rolling out the dough. “I’d sit and watch her cook the very tender chicken and flavorful ingredients,” she says.

As an adult, she continues this tradition now by making pot pies at home. “I slow cook chicken breast and a cream sauce, and I usually use a refrigerated dough, something like biscuits, and bake that on top.” As the golden crusted meal emerges from the oven, its warmth permeates the soul. “I think there’s a nostalgia, or a happy feeling associated with having something warm in your belly when it’s cold out,” says Burmeister.

Tarts

“If you’re having a special dinner with a loved one, it’s the perfect little taste for the end of your dinner.” — Emily Grable, Hazel & Rye owner

photo by Natalie Spencer

photo by Natalie Spencer

Elegant and classic, a tart adds a touch of old-world refinement to any event. Covered in brightly colored fruits, these small rounded confectionary treats share a common ground with the pie, while still being unique. “A tart is different from pie because of the crust; it’s called a pâte sucrée,” says Emily Grable, the owner of Hazel & Rye Artisan Baking Company. “The butter is more mixed in than chunked into [this crust], making it a little bit sweeter and [more] buttery.”

Packed with vibrantly sliced pieces of fruit, tarts add a splash of fun to any gathering. “I’m a big fruit fan because I love color,” she says. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches and kiwi top tarts, brightening occasions slice by slice.

Though pies are thought of as an all-American treat, the tart harkens to another part of the world. “I specialize in the European pastry realm and that is where the tart comes from,” says Grable. Walking through the streets of Paris, tarts decorate the windows of local shops, tantalizing taste buds internationally. Because of it’s distinguished nature, the tart is a wonderful fit for special events. Grable also recommends this elegant treat for those unforgettable moments. “If you’re having a special dinner with a loved one, you can get a small one and it’s the perfect little taste for the end of your dinner.”